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Cork East TD Sean Sherlock has said that people providing home help across Cork and nationwide are in urgent need of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in order to continue to assist elderly members of the community and others who avail of their services.

The Labour TD has said staff "are extremely concerned at the lack of PPE" and that "they are not being issued protective clothing, only gloves."

"When Home Helps are challenging this they are told that the HSE is going by the infection control guidelines," Mr Sherlock added.

"This is not good enough and I have raised this with the HSE as a matter of urgent attention. Those who require Home Helps are, as one put it to me, 'terrified to allow the home-helps in as they aren't wearing protective clothing'.

"We cannot expect these frontline healthcare professionals to enter people's homes without the correct equipment to protect staff and those who need this service."

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Earlier today, Minister for Health Simon Harris said that vulnerable people must try to avoid contact with others even in their own homes.

Speaking on RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland, he said: "You're a close contact by virtue of the fact that you live with people in your house - but in so far as is possible, you should keep your distance in your home from each other."

Minister Harris added: "I don't particularly like the word 'cocooning' but the idea behind it is the supports come to them.

"I know lots of family members are stocking food and leaving it on the doorstep for their mums or their dads.

"We also have a number of retailers doing delivery services. But in addition to that, we've now set up a contact number in every county council or every city council in the country for any older person or person with a medical condition to contact if they need food or access to any help."